Offering visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 191 destinations across the world, the Japanese passport, for the fourth time in a row, became the most powerful in the world.

The ranking has been awarded by the Henley Passport Index, which periodically measures the world’s most travel-friendly passports and gives captivating insights on what lies ahead in terms of traveling in a year marred by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The second country in the list is Singapore with a score of 190 and South Korea ties with Germany in third place with a score of 189.

New Zealand on the other hand is in the seventh position, with visa-free access to 185 destinations, while Australia grabbed the eighth position with unfettered access to 184 destinations.

There were relatively few high-profile visa agreements between countries during 2020 — with the United Arab Emirates being a notable exception, says Henley & Partners.

One of the most fascinating jump in the list was the UAE, which now holds 16th place on the ranking, attributable to the several mutually reciprocated visa-waiver agreements signed just last year, including an historic US-brokered agreement establishing formal ties with Israel and granting citizens of each country visa-free access to the other being the key reason.

The UAE grants visa-free/visa-on-arrival access to 173 destinations.

Here are the 10 most strongest pass ports in the world, courtesy Henley Passport Index

1. Japan (191 destinations)

2. Singapore (190)

3. South Korea, Germany (189)

4. Italy, Finland, Spain, Luxembourg (188)

5. Denmark, Austria (187)

6. Sweden, France, Portugal, Netherlands, Ireland (186)

7. Switzerland, United States, United Kingdom, Norway, Belgium, New Zealand (185)

8. Greece, Malta, Czech Republic, Australia (184)

9. Canada (183)

10. Hungary (181)

However, it must be noted that the report doesn’t take temporary COVID-19 restrictions into account.

As far as the worst ranked countries are considered Afghanistan stands at the last position with Pakistan being the fourth worst performer.

India on the other hand kept its position intact at 85.

Notably, the Index is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

The aim of this analysis is to ascertain how many countries a passport holder can enter visa-free or on a visa-on-arrival basis.